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IEO, PSX, APA, MPC: ETF Outflow Alert

Looking today at week-over-week shares outstanding changes among the universe of ETFs covered at ETF Channel, one standout is the iShares US Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF where we have detected an approximate $37.2 million dollar outflow -- that's a 6.1% decrease week over week (from 6,600,000 to 6,200,000). Among the largest underlying components of IEO, in trading today Phillips 66 is off about 0.7%, Apache Corp.

Looking today at week-over-week shares outstanding changes among the universe of ETFs covered at ETF Channel, one standout is the iShares U.S. Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF ( IEO) where we have detected an approximate $37.2 million dollar outflow -- that's a 6.1% decrease week over week (from 6,600,000 to 6,200,000). Among the largest underlying components of IEO, in trading today Phillips 66 ( PSX) is off about 0.7%, Apache Corp. ( APA) is up about 0.1%, and Marathon Petroleum Corp. ( MPC) is lower by about 0.8%. For a complete list of holdings, visit the IEO Holdings page »

The chart below shows the one year price performance of IEO, versus its 200 day moving average:

Looking at the chart above, IEO's low point in its 52 week range is $76.18 per share, with $99.88 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $92.70. Comparing the most recent share price to the 200 day moving average can also be a useful technical analysis technique -- learn more about the 200 day moving average ».

Exchange traded funds (ETFs) trade just like stocks, but instead of ''shares'' investors are actually buying and selling ''units''. These ''units'' can be traded back and forth just like stocks, but can also be created or destroyed to accommodate investor demand. Each week we monitor the week-over-week change in shares outstanding data, to keep a lookout for those ETFs experiencing notable inflows (many new units created) or outflows (many old units destroyed). Creation of new units will mean the underlying holdings of the ETF need to be purchased, while destruction of units involves selling underlying holdings, so large flows can also impact the individual components held within ETFs.

Investors in iShares Dow Jones US Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Index Fund saw new options become available this week, for the February 2015 expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the IEO options chain for the new February 2015 contracts and identified one put and one call contract of particular interest.

In trading on Monday, shares of the iShares US Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF entered into oversold territory, changing hands as low as $67.90 per share. We define oversold territory using the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, which is a technical analysis indicator used to measure momentum on a scale of zero to 100.